Letter: Damage from chemicals not limited to pot farmers

I do not support the use of chemicals in growing marijuana nor do I support the ecological destruction being perpetrated by many of the growers in our foothills. However, if we are going to have this conversation, then we have to talk about what factory and commercial farmers are doing in the valleys of California.

Factory farmers use enormous quantities of the most toxic poisons known to man. In 2006, four of the six most used farm pesticides in California were among the most dangerous chemicals in the world. Farmers applied more than 35.7 million pounds of four pesticides: metam sodium, methyl bromide, telone II and chloropicrin. These chemicals end up in the air and in our food and water. And we wonder why we have a high rate of cancer and birth defects and why the birds and bees are disappearing.

So yes, let's have that conversation, let's talk about the ecological destruction being done by all farmers who use chemicals that are destroying our environment.